Leaked Climate Plan Favors Rich Nations, Groups Say
Dec. 9 (Bloomberg) -- The proposal drawing the mostattention and criticism at the United Nations climate-changetalks in Copenhagen never got put on the table.
The formula for slowing global warming, circulated byDenmark before the two-week negotiations started Dec. 7, hasgenerated a stir because Denmark is the host country for morethan 190 nations, striving to be neutral.
The plan, leaked more than a week ago, is flawed because itwas drawn up outside the UN process without input from poorernations, said Kim Carstensen, head of the global climateinitiative at environmental group WWF. UN climate chief Yvo deBoer issued a statement saying the paper is “informal” only.
“It has been dealt with in closed circles, closed meetingswithout proper representation from all groups,” Carstensen toldreporters yesterday. “It is being seen by developing countriesas an attempt to accommodate the interests of the U.S. and otherdeveloped countries.”
The document, obtained by media including Bloomberg andnon-governmental organizations, proposes that the global dealbeing negotiated in Denmark’s capital limits warming to 2degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) since industrialization began,a goal shared by many corporations and trade groups.
The proposal is garnering so much attention in part becauseDenmark is hosting the climate negotiations, giving it oversightof the final text of a deal, said David Waskow, climate-changeprogram director of Oxfam America.
‘Profoundly Destructive’
The UN chief played down its importance compared withproposals that are officially admitted to negotiating tables.
“This was an informal paper ahead of the conference givento a number of people for the purposes of consultations,” deBoer said in his statement. “The only formal texts in the UNprocess are the ones tabled by the chairs of this Copenhagenconference at the behest of the parties.”
The draft was circulated among envoys from the U.S., theU.K. and Denmark, The Guardian newspaper reported.
Lumumba Di-Aping, a Sudanese envoy who speaks for 130developing nations and China, criticized the proposal and saidthe UNFCCC is the only legitimate forum for debates.
Su Wei, China’s lead negotiator, said he hadn’t seen theDanish document.
“The draft Copenhagen agreement is profoundly destructive-- it violates the principles of the UN negotiations,” AndyAtkins, executive director of Friends of the Earth, said in ane-mailed statement. “The Danes holding secret back-roommeetings with a few select countries is also deeplydisappointing.”
Climate Aid
Connie Hedegaard, the Danish minister who’s chairwoman ofthe talks, on Dec. 7 denied there was a specific proposal forthe final outcome of the meeting.
“There isn’t one text; there are lots of different issuescirculating where we try to consult with different parties,”Hedegaard said. “The draft text that might eventually beaccepted here is for a later stage.”
The proposal also includes provisions for developed nationsto channel $10 billion a year for the next three years to helpdeveloping nations cope with the immediate effects of climatechange and early steps to bring down their emissions. Developedcountries would inscribe absolute emissions-reduction pledges inone annex, and developing nations would lay out their actionsand the “emissions outcome expected” from their policies.
“I think they’ve looked too much toward the U.S. and toolittle toward what the developing countries were wanting to seeand that was a big tactical mistake,” Carstensen told BloombergTelevision. “I think they have now gotten the signal fromdeveloping countries that we want to see something different.”
‘A Distraction’
Envoys at the UN talks are discussing how to extend orreplace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol that limits emissions in 37developed nations. Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussenhas said he wants leaders to reach a “strong politicalagreement” by the end of the summit on Dec. 18, when U.S.President Barack Obama and U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown cometo Copenhagen.
“The Rasmussen text is a distraction,” Martin Kaiser,Greenpeace International climate political adviser, said in ane-mail.
“Rasmussen needs to get serious and focus on solving theroadblocks that have been caused by the industrialized countriesrefusing to agree on deep cuts in emissions, long-term financefor the developing world and a legally binding outcome inCopenhagen,” Kaiser said.
To contact the reporter on this story:Alex Morales in Copenhagen via amorales2@bloomberg.netKim Chipman in Copenhagen via Kchipman@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: December 8, 2009 17:45 ESTSource: Bloomberg
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